There was a need for supported employment in Scone, and Café on Kelly has been working away at meeting that need for two years now.
Owner Jill Hamling shared they opened in March 2023 and despite struggling through the main street revitalisation works, they have hung on and are thriving while providing opportunities for people with different abilities.
“I looked into what was going to be the best employment, how were we going to get them out there? how are we going to get them out into the public eye so that the public can learn how to adapt, as well as we have to learn to adapt,” she explained of the café’s beginnings.
“I checked out cafes, and it seemed to be the big thing.”
There are currently four supported staff, who are guided by staff that also work in the café serving customers and preparing food and drinks.
“My days are made up of having one of the supported people in here with me, and we work through programs I’ve written for social skills, customer service skills, barista course, and then we go into the cafe and then they do the practical parts,” Jill said.
“It’s inspiring, it inspires me to do more and reach higher goals.”
The Café on Kelly team are kept busy by a very supportive community, and are already dreaming of what more they could achieve when they can get everything to line up.
Using the space behind the café Jill would love to be able to get a demountable in set up as a commercial kitchen for more training and to increase their catering capacity.
Jill shared they would love to hear from anyone who would be interested in being on a board so Café on Kelly can become a social enterprise and continue to follow their dreams.
